Carrier for folding chairs



1952 l. 6. SMITH CARRIER ,FOR FOLDING CHAIRS wwm l/l m 1% Filed Aug. 8. 1950 INVENTOR [RV/W5 6'. div/7W 14 7 TOR/V1315 Patented Dec. 16, 1952 UNITED STATES P TENT OFFICE 3' Claims.

This invention relates to article carriers, and.

more particularly to a carrier for foldingchairs.

An object of this invention is to provide a. carrier for folding chairs which is particularly adapted for transporting large numbers of folding chairs from place to place with speed and facility.

Another object of thi invention is to provide a carrier for folding chairs which is particularly adapted to accommodate and support various types of foldingzchairs for transportation.

A further object of this invention is to provide a carrier for folding chairs which is provided with novel means to prevent the marring and scratching of folding chairs during loading, transporting and unloading.

A still further object of this invention i to provide-a carrier for folding chairs which is relatively simple in structure and cheap to manufacture.

The above and still further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front'elevational view of the article carrier of the present invention;

Figure '2'is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 6--6 'of Figure l.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals have been used throughout the several views to'designate like parts, there is shown the article carrie of the present invention, generally designated by the reference numeral H], which includes a mobile base embodying spaced wheels l2 and I3 and an axle l4 extending between the wheels I2 and about each pair of the rods l6 and H, the springs 7 being designated by the reference numerals I8 and I9. One end of each of the coil springs -|8 and I9 bears against the adjacent portion of the frame 15 and the other end thereof bears against the adjacent portion of the axle M to thereby resiliently support the mobile base II from the frame I5.

Positioned above the frame l5 and havingione end secured thereto is a support '20. The resilient mounting of the frame' I 5 onthemobile base permits the assembly of the frame |5-and the support 2|] to be rocked about the axle I4 toward and away from a ground surface; not shown. The support 20 embodies a horizontally disposed,

' U-shaped frame 2| which embodies spaced legs 22 and 23, and a bight 24 interconnecting the legs. Disposed normally to the horizontally disposed frame 2| is an inverted, vertically disposed, U-shaped frame 25 which likewise embodies a pair of opposed legs 26 and 21 interconnected by a bight 28. As clearly illustrated in Figure 1, the free ends of the legs 26 and 21 of the vertically disposed, U-shaped frame 25 are fixedly secured to the free ends of the legs 22 and 23 of the horizontally disposed frame 2|. Extending between th bights of the frames 2| and 25 are a pair of brace bars, generally designated by the reference numeral 29. Positioned contiguous to the bight 28 of the inverted, vertically disposed frame Disposed in side-by-side, spaced relation with respect to each other are a pair of guide walls 3| and 32 which are arranged transversely of and.

upon the support 29 and have the lower ends carried by the support 20, the guide walls being connected together by crossbars 3 la and 3|b. Each of the guide walls 3| and 32' is provided with. a pair of longitudinally extending, spaced apart rows of spaced apertures, generally designated by the reference numerals 33 and 34. Th apertures in the pair of rows of the guide wall 3| are positioned in aligned relation with respect to the apertures of the pair of rows of the guide wall 32.

Positioned contiguous to one side of the support 2|! is a pair of legs, generally designated by the reference numeral 35 which have one end mounted on the bight 28 of the vertically disposed, U-shaped frame 25 for movement to an extended position with. respect to said one side of'the support 20. The other end of the legs-36- 25 of the support 20 and secured to the legs 26,

are engageable with the ground surface in a select position of the rocking movement of the support when the legs are in the extended position illustrated by the broken lines in Figure 2. Extending between the legs 36 and the support 26 is a chain 36a for limiting the movement of the legs 36 with respect to the support 20.

Positioned contiguous to the other side of the support 20 are a pair of chair-engaging rods 31 and 38, each of which has one end selectively engageable with the aligned apertures of the rows 33 and 34 provided in the guide walls 3| and 32, and has its other end projecting from the support, as clearly illustrated in Figure 2. The projecting ends of the chair-engaging rods 3! and 38 are each provided with a tubular protective sleeve 39 fabricated of any suitable rubber-containing material. The adjacent side faces of the legs 26 and 2'! of the vertically disposed support frame are likewise provided with a protective covering, designated by the numeral 48. The sleeves 39 on the rods 37 and 38 and the protective covering 40 cooperate to maintain chairs to be carried on the chair-engaging rods and the support 20 out of direct contact therewith.

Carried by the support 20 and engageable with the legs 36 is a latch means, generally designated by the reference numeral 4| which normally maintains the legs out of the extended position shown by the broken lines in Figure 2. As clearly shown in Figure 4, the latch means 4| embodies a keeper 42 including a plurality of resilient fingers 43 carried by the bight 24 of the horizontally disposed, U-shaped frame 21, and a ball latch 44 carried by the lower free ends of the legs 36 and selectively engageable within the fingers 43 of the keeper 42. It is readily apparent that the legs 36 can be disengaged from their supported position by manually grasping the legs and urging said legs outwardly from the adjacent side of the support 23. In actual use, the carrier 13 can be adjusted to carry any one of several types of folding chairs. The adjustment is effected by removing the chair-engaging rods 31 and 38 from their supported position within the select ones of the aligned apertures provided in the guide walls 3| and 32 and reinserting the rods at a different level. The securement of the rods 3'! and 38 to the guide walls is effected by means of a pair of retaining pieces 46 and 41 positioned interiorly of the guide wall 32 and mounted on the adjacent portions of the support 20 for movement longitudinally of the wall 32. Each of the chairengaging rods 31 and 38 is provided with an aperture for the extension therethrough of the adjacent one of the retaining elements 46, 41. As the specific structure of the retaining elements 46, 41 and the aperture in the rods 31 and 3B are the same, the specific structure of the element 46 in the adjacent rod 37 is only shown. As shown in Figure 6, the element 46 is supported in the crossbar 3la and extends through the aperture 48 in the chair engaging rod 31.

Once the chair-engaging rods 3'! and 38 are positioned so that they can be inserted beneath the bottom cross piece of a stack of chairs to be transported, the carrier is moved into side-byside relation with respect to the stack of chairs, and the chair-engaging rods 31 and 38 inserted beneath the aforementioned bottom cross pieces. The handle is then manually grasped and the support 20 is rocked about the axle I4 to a position wherein the stack of chairs is supported on the rods 31 and 38 and rest against the adjacent faces of the inverted, vertically disposed, U-shaped frame 25 of the support 20. The carrier is then rocked into a position with respect to the ground surface, wherein the load provided by the stack of chairs is relatively uniformly distributed, so that the mobile base can be moved across a ground surface to a position wherein the chairs are to be unloaded. To unload the chairs, the support 20 is rocked about the axle l4 to a position wherein the stack of chairs rests against a wall or other supporting surface and the chairengaging rods 31 and 38 are then removed from the supported position beneath the bottom cross pieces of the chairs.

Although only one embodiment of the carrier of the present invention has been described, it is readily apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A carrier for folding chairs comprising a mobile base adapted to traverse a ground surface and including spaced wheels and an axle extendin between and connected to said wheels, an upstanding frame positioned between said axles and having the lower end connected to said axle for rocking movement about said axle toward and away from a ground surface, a horizontally disposed support superimposed upon and fixedly secured to the upper end of said frame, a vertically disposed frame arranged transversely of and upon said support adjacent one end of the latter and having the lower end fixedly secured to said support, a pair of spaced guide walls arranged transversely of and upon said support inwardly of said one end of the latter and carried by said support, a horizontally disposed rod arranged contiguous to each end of said guide wall and having one end portion extending through and supported in the adjacent portion of said guide walls and having the other end portion projecting beyond said vertically disposed frame, the projecting end portions of said rods and adjacent portion of said vertically disposed frame formin a platform for holding a plurality of folding chairs in stacked relation, and a pair of legs arranged longitudinally of said support and each having one end connected to the upper end of said vertically disposed frame for movement to an extended position with respect to said vertically disposed frame, the other ends of said legs being engageable with said ground surface in the select position of the rocking movement of said upstanding frame and in said extended position of said legs.

2. A carrier for folding chairs comprising a mobile base adapted to traverse a ground surface and including spaced wheels and an axle extending between and connected to said wheels, an upstanding frame positioned between said wheels and having the lower end connected to said axle for rocking movement about said axle toward and away from a ground surface, a horizontally disposed support superimposed upon and fixedly secured to the upper end of said frame, a

vertically disposed frame arranged transversely of and upon said support adjacent one of the latter and having the lower end fixedly secured to said support, a pair of spaced guide walls arranged transversely of and upon said support inwardly of said one end of the latter and carried by said support, a horizontally disposed rod arranged contiguous to each end of said guide walls and having one end portion extending through and supported in the adjacent portion of said guide walls and having the other end portion projecting beyond said vertically disposed frame, the projecting end portions of said rods and adjacent portion of said vertically disposed frame forming a platform for holding a plurality of folding chairs in stacked relation, a pair of legs arranged longitudinally of said support and each having one end connected to the upper end of said vertically disposed frame for movement to an extended position with respect to said vertically disposed frame, the other ends of said legs being engageable with said ground surface in the select position of the rocking movement of said upstanding frame and in said extended position of said legs, and a pair of retaining elements supported in said guide walls and extending slidably through said rods.

3. A carrier for folding chairs comprising a mobile base adapted to traverse a ground surface and including spaced wheels and an axle extending between and connected to said wheels, an upstanding frame positioned between said wheels and having the lower end connected to said axle for rocking movement about said axle toward and away from a ground surface, a horizontally disposed support superimposed upon and fixedly secured to the upper end of said frame, a vertically disposed frame arranged transversely of and upon said support adjacent one end of the latter and having the lower end fixedly secured to said support, a pair of spaced guide walls arranged transversely of and upon said support inwardly of said one end of the latter and carried by said support, a horizontally disposed rod arranged contiguous to each end of said guide walls and having one end portion extending through and supported in the adjacent portion of said guide walls and having the other end portion projecting beyond said vertically disposed frame, the projecting end portions of said rods and adjacent portion of said vertically disposed frame forming a platform for holding a plurality of folding chairs in stacked relation, a pair of legs arranged longitudinally of said support and each having one end connected to the upper end of said vertically disposed frame for movement to an extended position with respect to said vertically disposed frame, the other ends of said legs being engageable with said ground surface in the select position of the rocking movement of said upstanding frame and in said extended position of said legs, and latch means on said support and engageable with the other end of each of said legs for normally looking the latter out of said extended position.

IRVINE G. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 289,753 Crisp Dec. 4, 1883 2,345,381 Chenette Mar. 28, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 380,411 Great Britain Sept. 15, 1932 847,970 France July 17, 1939 

